CLEVELAND — The FBI's Cleveland division says it has seized more than 80 pounds of suspected fentanyl in an operation against an international drug ring's Ohio arm.
According to officials from the division's Cartel Gang Narcotics & Laundering Task Force, substances were found during raids at locations in Cleveland and Painesville this past week. It is believed the fentanyl had a street value of roughly $5.2 million, and that it would've been enough to kill 20 million people, if ingested.
RELATED: More crime headlines from WKYC
"The sheer volume of drugs recovered during this seizure is astounding," FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Gregory Nelsen said in a statement. "Identifying, investigating, and apprehending drug traffickers and the networks in which they work are one of the highest priorities of the FBI."
The massive operation involved the collaboration of not just the FBI, but also the United States Border Patrol and Ohio Attorney General's Office along with a slew of police departments across Northeast Ohio. Authorities believe the drugs came from a trafficking network based in Mexico, with two suspected Greater Cleveland operatives now being arrested and four guns (including two assault rifles) also being confiscated.
"I commend the efforts of the FBI Cleveland Cartel Gang Narcotics & Laundering Task force for the stellar results of this successful initiative," Cleveland Police Chief Wayne Drummond wrote. "Fentanyl is a poison affecting the lives of countless Ohioans and Americans. An investigation of this magnitude is a significant indicator of what is accomplished through strategic, partnered law enforcement initiatives."
With the trafficking ring accused of selling drugs across America, investigators in Washington, D.C. as well as several other states are continuing their work. The FBI did not release the names of those arrested in Northeast Ohio, nor did they reveal the addresses of the raids.